{"playerId":1177,"percentChange":-4,"averageDraftPosition":178,"percentOwned":29.2,"fullName":"Scott Baker","seasonOutlook":{"outlook":"If home runs were outs, Baker would be in contention for the Cy Young Award every season. His strikeout and walk rates are always better than league average, but because he is a fly ball pitcher, his HR/9 is always above average. The general rule of thumb with fly ball pitchers is their WHIP is low (fly balls staying in the yard are usually caught) while their ERA is high since homers generally result in a low LOB%. Baker fits this description quite closely, as since 2007, he has sported WHIPs of 1.18, 1.19, 1.34 and 1.17, with the outlying 1.34 the result of a .323 BABIP. By comparison, the respective ERAs have been 3.45, 4.37, 4.49 and 3.14 -- not much correlation between ERA and WHIP. If you have the ability to make frequent switches to your pitching staff, Baker's home run woes can be mitigated quite a bit by playing him only at home or on the road in pitchers' parks. You may lose out on 10 or so starts, but your ERA will thank you. One thing to be aware of: Baker will miss the first few weeks of the season while on the DL with an elbow injury.","seasonId":2012,"date":"Tue Apr 3"}}